Hot-water heating system.



P. J. NEWKUME'P. HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEM. APPLICATION rum! DEO.17, 1913.

N N Q N I A TTORNEY PHILIP J. NEWKUMET, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. I

HOT-WATER HEATING- SYSTEM;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed December 17, 1913. Serial No. 807,236.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PH1L11 J. NEWKUMET, a citizen of the. United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hot-VVater Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hot water heating systems that are adapted for heating rooms of residences, ofiice build,- ings and the like, and the object of my improvement is to provide a hot water heating system wherein the water may be heated either by a furnace heated boiler or by an electric heater, as may be desired at different times, as, forinstance, when the electric generating plant which supplies the electric heater, is called upon to do its maximum work or when it isv desired to economize by shutting off the supply of electricity then such boiler may be operated to heat the water instead of the electric heater, and when, at another time, such source of electric current has but little work to do, or when it is preferredto utilize the electric heater, then the fire in such boilers furnace may be permitted to die out and an electric current be switched on to the electric heater.

A further object of my improvement is to provide such hot water heating system with -a tank for storing hot water which hot water may circulate throughout-all of the rooms to be heated for a considerable length of time after the means for heating the water has ceased operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide automatic means in combination with such electric heater that will operate a-switch to shut 01f the current in such'electric heater when the' coldest portion of the water circulating through the system of pipes has become heated to a desired predetermined temperature at which time all of the water in the storage tank will be heated.

I accomplish these objects by devices indicated diagrammatically in the accompany-' ing drawing wherein i 4 is a boiler, of a common upright type, that is provided with afurnace in its lower portion, and 8 is an electrically heated small tank adapted to contain water and within which may be disposedan; electrical heating unit, of any of the well known formgfnot shown, which heating device may be sup-- plied with current through conducting wires 14 and 15, while 11 indicates a large water storage tank. Such boiier 4, small electrically heated tank 8 ancf storage water tank 11 are preferably disposed in the basement of a structure to be heated.

/ Connected with the upper portions of the boiler 4, the small electrically heated tank 8 and the water storage tank 11 respectively are pipes 3, 7 and 10 all of which communicate through suitable fittings with the outgoing pipe 1 which may lead to the several rooms, not shown, of such structure to be heated and from such rooms it may lead back to the basement to be connected'to the pipe 2- which pipe 2 by means of suitable fitrespectively. In each of the pipes 3 and 5 isa valve, as indicated, by means of which the flowof water either from the boiler 4 or into such boiler 4 may be intercepted if desired. Adjacent to the pipe 5 is connected to the pipe 2 a pipe 6 by means of a suitable T fitting which pipe 6 may lead to a source of water, not shown, and such pipe 6 is provided with a valve 21 whereby the supply of water, for filling the boiler 4, the small tank 8 and the storage tank 11, may be shut off.

Adjacent to the pipe 12 beneath the storage tank 11 is a thermostatic device 16 whlch is interposed in the pipe 2 and whose lever 17 may be moved by a shaft 19 in response to changes in temperature to open or close tings is connected with the lower portions of i an electrical circuit between such lever 17 and a contact point 18 which contact point 18 and lever 17 are connected in series in the circuit which inclu es the electrical heating unit within the tank 8 which may be sup- I The thermostatic device 16 may be 0fany-- ofuthe well vknown forms to voperate m a I well known way to actuate means for opening and closing an electric circuit as the circuit comprising the wires 14 and 15.

A switch 20 that may be manually operated, to open andclose the circuit of the electric heating unit of the tank 8 is interposed in the circuit wire 14 as shown.

Adjacent to the pipe 12 the extreme end of the pipe 2 is connected with a well known device, indicated by the numeral 13, which is adapted to embody a column of mercury which column'ot' mercury may be -forced to rise to compress air-that may be contained within a chamber 22 provided on the top of the pipe 23 containing such column of mercury, in response to the expansion of the water contained in the boiler 4, tank 8, storage tank 11 and all the pipes connected therewith, whereby if such receptacles are completely filled with water they may not burst upon the expansion of such water.

The various devices when associated in the manner that l have illustrated and described may operate as follows: The boiler 4, the tank 8 and the storage tank 11 and the pipes connected therewith, being filled with water supplied through the inlet pipe 6 and the valve 21, such valve 21 is then closed and the valves in the pipes 3 and 5 open while the switch 20 is opened, and thereupon the water in boiler 4 may be heated by the combustion of fuel within its furnace whereupon the heated-water at the top of said boiler .4 will flow upwardly through pipe 3 and thence through pipe 1 to the several upper rooms to be heated, thence back to the pipe 2 and thence through pipe 5 into the lower part of the boiler andalso heated water will flow through pipe 1 toward the right hand into the tank 8 and into the storage tank 11, while the cooler water in the lower portions of tank 8 and storage tank 11' flows out of the pipes 9 and 12 respectively into the pipe 2 thence back into the lower portion of the boiler 4 through the pipe 5, but the water in siich tank ,8 and storage tank 11, obviously, will not be heated to any considerable extent until the water in'that portion of the pipe 1, which is in the rooms ,to be heated is hot and after the rooms are well heated then the water in the tank 8 and the storage 11 will morejrapidly be increased in temperature and when the water of the storage tank 11 is heated throughout then if the fire in the furnace be allowed to die out such hot water willcom tinue to circulate in the direction, shownby thearrows in dotted line, to maintain the rooms warm as will also the water of'the boiler 4 and the tank 8. If it betdesiredto heat the rooms of the building electrical energy, with no fire in the furnace of; the boiler 4:,- he the sw ..2 0,w e le wh ebye ri {c rre t m x Pass rough -ccmd1ictor 14 into and through the electric heating unit within the tank 8' thence I first to heat the rooms and then to pass.

toward the right hand to heat the water of the storage tank 11 while at the same time a portion of such heated water will pass toward v the left hand to enter the boiler through pipe 3, and, obviously, a continuation'of the operation of the heating unit in the tank 8 will gradually heat all of the water in the boiler 4 and storage tank 11 until that portion of the water within the pipe 2 adjacent to the thermostat 16 reaches a desired predetermined temperature in response to which predetermined temperature the levers 17 may be actuated to interrupt the flow of electricity through the electric heating unit in the tank 8 and thereafter the hot water invthe several receptacles 4. 8 and 11 may circulate through the pipe 1 to maintain the rooms warm for a long time.

Manifestly the valves in pipes 3 and 5 may be shut off wholly thus to dispense with the use of the boiler 4, if desired, or such boiler -4 maybe completely disconnected from the system, but preferably the boiler 4 is made available in the system in order that if the source of electric current for the electric heating unit be overtaxed the circuit in such heating unit may be opened'by the switch 20 and the boiler 4 be used in its place until such source of current is relieved of its maximum load; Thus, by my invention as descr' ed and illustrated, when the central statio ,which is supplying electricity to the electric unit of tank 8, is carrying its high peak load then such load may be lessened by opening theswitch 20 and permitting the water in thetank 11, which is now heated, to circulate through the pipes 1 and 2 to heat lot the rooms or, if desired, putting the boiler 4 into operation, and when the electric heating unit 18 in operation then the boiler 4 may act as a hot water reservoir in thesame manner as does the; storage tank 11.

It will be observed that the water in pipe 2 will always be ata lower temperature than the water'in any other portion of the heating system and the pipe-2 will'not'become very andany formfoi-an' electric switch that is a apted o 0 t f byv a t e mo t max-a tn'i e'yedn w hing inveatien and 'in-iiior' changes may The in r 12ajOficourse, form of electric heating the several parts ereof without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is: v 1. In a heating system of the class described, the combination with a boiler, of

a storage tank for hot water, an electric heater interposed between said boiler and I ing from said point at a higher elevation and communicating with the lowermost portion of said boiler and said storage tank and said electric heater, and a thermostat interposed in the lowermost portion of said return pipe, said thermostat being adapted to break said electric circuitto disconnect said heater when the water in said return pipe becomes hot and to close said electric circuit to cause said electric heater to become operative when the water in said return pipe becomes cold.

2. In a heating system of the class described, the combination with a boiler, of water pipes connected with said boiler and adapted to lead to a point at a higher elevation to which it is desired to conduct hot water, a storage tank having its bottom portion connected with one of said pipes and its top portion connected with the other of said pipes, an electric heater interposed between said boiler and said storage tank, and connected with said two pipes, a circuit adapted to conduct an electrical current to saidheater, a switch provided in said circuit, and a thermostat associated with the lowermost portion of said storage tank and adapted to open and close said switch in response to changes in the temperature of the water in the bottom portion of said tank.

3. In a heating system of the class described, the combination with an electric heater, of pipes communicating with the upper and lower'portions, respectively, of said heater and adapted to extend to a point at a higherelevation to which hot water is to be conducted, a storage tank, means for connecting said upper and said lower pipes respectively, with the upper and the lower portions of said storage tank whereby water may flow between said tank and said heater, an electrical circuit connected with said electric heater, a switch provided in said circuit and a thermostat interposed in saidlowermost water connection between said tank and said heater, said thermostat being adapted to open and close said switch-in response to a change in the temperature of the coldest water in said heating system.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this fourth day of December A. ll, 1913.

PHILIP J. NEWKUMET.

Witnesses:

F. C. MATEENY, A. HASKI1\TS.' 

